


Blue is the Colour of the Sky

by sodakooh



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Bullying, Deaf Character, Fist Fighting, Fluff, He’s like the avatar for cliques, Hurt/Comfort, I don’t have a computer anymore so I wrote this on my phone and it was hell, M/M, Markus is High School Jesus, Multi, Mutual Pining, OKAY SO THIS WASN'T ORIGINALLY GONNA BE A MULTI-CHAPTER THING, Possible Pining?, Protective Markus, Protectiveness, SO LETS UPDATE THESE TAGS SHALL WE, Underage Drug Use, but here we are, north is stronk girl and i lov she, she'S SUPER BI BY THE WAY
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-09-11
Packaged: 2019-06-19 13:03:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15510492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sodakooh/pseuds/sodakooh
Summary: Markus’s eyes followed the blond unconsciously, watching as he sat quietly at a table or went in line to order something. It was only then that Markus recognized the hand gestures, something clicking within his mind.Simon was different, and so was Markus.





	1. the one where markus snaps

**Author's Note:**

> hey this is a self-indulgent fic and is probably the worst thing i’ve ever written but shh
> 
> it’s based off of a tumblr post where simon is deaf and markus, the Legend of the School™ takes it upon himself to protect the kiddo
> 
> also i am not deaf/hard of hearing, but i tried to do as much research as i could on hearing aids and chit-chatted with a friend who wears them and stuff and blah blah
> 
> also also before people come at me like “DEAF PEOPLE DONT SPEAK RAAH” yes some of them do depending on how late they began losing hearing
> 
> i’ll shut up now  
> enjoy

Typically in high school, there were social groups and their tropes. You had the theatre kids, loud and extravagant. They could be found off to the side of the cafeteria, quoting some musical or arguing about who played Elphaba in “Wicked” better. You also had your gamers and gothics, who never looked up and were almost completely silent—except for the occasional scream from a gamer.

 

You also had the quiet nerds, their noses deep in books or papers, only looking up to search for their next assignment. They didn’t populate the cafeteria much, only found in small clumps scattered here and there.

 

Their scarceness made them weak and easy prey for the jocks of high school.

 

They were loud, dominant, and you either wanted to hang out with them or avoid them at all costs. Most jocks enjoyed the roughhousing, enjoyed putting on a show at other people’s expenses, and often preyed on those few in numbers. They were like a pack of wolves, constantly on the move for a new meal.

 

Markus was an exception, however, and because he didn’t belong to one group, he was an icon and a threat to the status quo. Captain of the football team and member of the student council, he was the person who kept the bloodshed between groups to a minimum. He helped teachers as much as he could, and everyone knew he wasn’t a teacher’s pet but simply a selfless person.

 

There had been a new transfer in Markus’ junior year of high school. He was a blond male, slightly shorter than Markus but by the way he held himself, he seemed much shorter. His crystal blue eyes seemed to take everything around him in with wonder and curiosity, and they were also the way to determine the blond’s emotions.

 

It took a few days to find it out his name; Simon Phillips. He always carried his bag around with him, almost as if it had his heart in it, and never really engaged in conversation. He always had strange earpieces in each of his ears, but Markus never truly got the chance to ask him about it. Occasionally, he’d see a teacher telling him to take them out, and Simon would mumble an explanation that Markus was always too far to hear. There was something about the transfer that managed to catch Markus’ eye, but the jock never did anything until senior year.

 

It had been early on in the year when Markus was seated with a few of his teammates at their lunch table. One of the juniors—a kid named Justin—had pointed out a few of the nerds walking into the cafeteria, Simon among them. There was a younger freshman girl walking besides him, talking and giggling while Simon also had a small smile on his lips. A flash of an emotion—pride? Jealousy?—flickered somewhere deep within him, but it was gone as soon as it started.

 

“Well there’s a sight you never see,” Justin has said, sitting on the table rather than the bench. “Phillips hit it off with a freshman—not to mention another nerd with a massive rack!”

 

A few of the others at the table began whooping and snickering, but Markus simply rolled his eyes. “Come on, man. Knock it off,” he warned, poking Justin with a fork.

 

“What? It’s a compliment,” Justin replied, wiggling his eyebrows which only made the table erupt into laughter again.

 

Markus ignored the others who kept the joke going, and instead diverted his attention to Simon. He and the freshman split up, her going to another table to sit among a few other freshman while Simon went in line to buy something. It was only once the blond reached the front of the line that he relaxed, and Markus realized that he’d rarely seen Simon so at ease.

 

Simon did something with his hands, but he also moved his mouth almost as if he were speaking. The cafeteria lady smiled at him, and made a few hand gestures in return before turning to the fridge and taking out an apple juice. It took a moment before Markus realized what was happening, all of the clues suddenly clicking together; the earpieces, the hand signals, the silence.

 

Simon was deaf.

 

A part of Markus wanted to go up to Simon immediately, to tell him that he wasn’t alone and that Markus was slowly learning sign language as well because of his father losing his hearing, but decided against it. It might scare Simon off, or simply rub him the wrong way. The last thing Markus would want to do was make Simon feel uncomfortable after a year of getting used to the school.

 

So he waited and waited for a good moment to strike up a conversation, but Markus could never find anything. Yes, Simon was always alone on the occasion that he was in the cafeteria, and if Markus ever saw Simon in the library, he would be sitting by the corner reading something, but Markus never wanted to intrude on something that wasn’t his business.

 

That is, until a cold afternoon in October.

 

Markus had been the last one to leave the locker room, deciding he could stay a little while longer on the field to do a few extra laps. He decided he would shower at home, and left the locker room with a fresh change of clothes and a towel still lazily draped around his neck.

 

“Yo, what the fuck do you even have in here?” he heard a vaguely familiar voice ask from a little while away.

 

“Stop! Give that back, please!” another voice called, and the sound of rustling followed.

 

“Aw, is he gonna cry?” a third voice asked, and Markus recognized it as Justin’s. Immediate intrigue caused Markus’ destination to change, and he walked around the corner to see Justin and one of the soccer team members harassing a blond male—Simon.

 

Simon was on the ground, a few scrapes on his cheek and a scared look in his teary eyes. “Please, stop! It has a lot of important things in it,” Simon admitted, to which Justin and the other laughed at.

 

“Like what? Your hearing? Your voice?” Justin retorted, making the other boy laugh and Markus’ blood boil. He threw Simon’s bag over the fence that separated them from the soccer field before continuing. “Why don’t you stop fucking faking it and shut the fuck—“

 

Justin didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence before Markus grabbed his shoulder, turning him around and punching him square in the face. The sound of Justin’s groan was enough to relieve Markus of the brief guilt caused by punching a teammate.

 

“What the fuck, Markus?!” Justin asked, on his knees as he held his face, which had blood dripping from his nose.

 

“Get up,” Markus said, eyes filled with an anger that was foreign to the typically collected, kind senior. “Get up and fight, since you clearly have to prove to yourself that you’re strong by picking on him.” Markus grabbed Justin’s shirt, pulling his face close. “Or are you going to run with your tail between your legs like the coward you are?”

 

Justin hesitated to answer, fear painted everywhere on his face. He was silent for too long, and Markus became bored and irritated.

 

“Don’t you ever let me catch you picking on him again, you got that?” Markus asked, his voice low and cool although that might be part of the reason why it struck fear in both Justin and Mr. Soccer Boy, who watched the situation unfold with terror. Markus threw Justin onto the floor, and he quickly scrambled to his feet and ran off, cursing under his breath. Markus watched them leave before turning his attention to Simon, who began wiping some dirt off of his hands with an embarrassed and saddened look.

 

Before Simon could do anything, Markus looked over at where the bag had been thrown, and ran up to the fence. He leaped over it with grace and ease, landing in front of the bag. Markus slung it over his shoulder before jumping back over the fence and handing it to Simon with a smile. The blond’s face flushed deeply, taking it and putting it back over his shoulder.

 

“Thank you, Markus,” Simon said, and he was somewhat surprised that the other knew his name.

 

With a warm expression, Markus replied nonverbally. He brought his hands up, signing ‘It’s nothing, Simon. I’m glad I could help’ with only mild hesitation. The sight alone made a small noise come from the back of Simon’s throat in excitement. The blond began signing things quickly—but by piecing things like “You” “Sign” “Didn’t know” together, Markus figured out he was talking about knowing ASL.

 

“Woah, woah,” Markus said out loud, chuckling lightly as he signed what he said out loud. “I’m still learning, but yes. I know a little .”

 

Simon rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry,” Simon said and signed. “I got excited. I’ve only talked to Mrs. Amelia, the cafeteria lady in ASL, and while my lip reading skills are pretty good, it’s hard to focus on what I sort-of hear and connecting that to what I see. It’s especially hard in the cafeteria, where everyone’s always yelling so loudly” he explained.

 

“Well, now you have two people,” Markus replied, smiling. “Why don’t we sit together for lunch… tomorrow?” he suggested, taking a moment to try and figure out what to sign for the last word. “It doesn’t have to be in the cafeteria.”

 

Simon’s eyes lit up, the joy making it seem like there were little sparkles in his blue irises. “Yeah!” he chirped. “I’d love that!”

 

There was another swell of unidentifiable emotions in Markus’ chest, creating a layer of heat over his face. “Good! Good,” he replied, mimicking Simon’s happiness. “Well I should be going, uh, home, but I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

Simon waved a goodbye in return, and the brunet turned and began walking away. Each of them had a content smile plastered on their faces, relaxing from the satisfaction of knowing they now had each other.


	2. the one where markus goes home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Markus travels home, and faces a few more obstacles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO I COULDN'T HELP MYSELF AND THIS AU IS BECOMING A FULL FIC NOW SNDJSDNK  
> I DON'T HAVE MUCH PLOT-WISE AND I'M KINDA MAKING IT UP AS I GO BUT UHHHH PINING 
> 
> we'll see appearances from other canon characters in this au and some background stuff here n there.
> 
> i had to cut this chapter in two because it got so long ksdnjsdn  
> (also if you catch the teeny tiny reference to canon i made then i hope you suffered as much as i did when writing that)

Markus realized that he hadn’t stopped smiling ever since he left Simon because of the dull ache that bloomed in his cheeks. Even when Markus tried to stop smiling, there was a twitch in the corner of his lips that pulled them right back up into a grin.

 

He finally did it. He talked to Simon. He talked to Simon and protected him from his teammates.

 

He protected Simon… from his teammates.

 

Markus  _ punched _ his teammate.

 

The smile on Markus’ face faltered. He hadn’t even thought before rushing in to save Simon like a cliché _knight in shining armour._ What would his teammates think of him now? Worse yet, what if he was kicked off the team?

 

Markus took a breath to stop his thoughts from spiraling any further, figuring he would need to take things one step at a time. He instead focused on making his way into the kitchen to make dinner, dropping his bags besides the sliding door. It was technically his brother’s turn, but Markus didn’t mind doing it. Besides, his brother was nowhere in sight (which wasn’t an unusual occurrence in the Manfred household).

 

“Play my cooking playlist,” Markus requested, and an electronic beep told him that the strange combination of Drake, Hoizer, and Marianna’s Trench would soon play softly in the kitchen speakers as he rinsed and cooked greens.

 

Markus hadn’t noticed another figure enter the kitchen as he had his back to the door, instead humming quietly to himself. The other watched Markus in (one of his many) element(s) before deciding to speak up.

 

“I thought it was Leo’s turn to do the cooking,” a gruff voice asked, kind blue eyes watching Markus jump.

 

“Dad,” Markus said through an exhale, a hand over his chest where his heart pounded against his chest. He removed his hand and began signing  _ “Don’t do that!” _

 

Carl chuckled, wheeling himself a little closer to Markus. “I’m sorry,” he apologized, and Markus went back to his business of seasoning some sliced chicken breasts. “But… really, where is he?”

 

Markus continued looking down at the bowl in front of him, brows hanging lower on his face.  _ “I don’t know...”  _ he signed, only glancing up momentarily before moving to add more paprika to the chicken breasts. In truth, Markus always felt guilty whenever Leo didn’t come home. He was the older one (by a few months, but still), so he should at least have  _ some _ sort of relationship with his brother… shouldn’t he?

 

“That boy will be the death of me,” Carl grunted.

 

Not wanting to upset Carl any more than Leo had made him, Markus changed the subject. “Oh! Do you remember the boy I wanted to talk to--Simon?” Markus asked, this time not signing his words since he was busy getting a pan heated. To make up for the lack of hand gestures, he tried annunciating his words so Carl could hopefully read his lips.

 

Once getting a nod, Markus continued speaking. “Well, I finally talked to him today. He was being picked on by Justin and some guy on the soccer team. I… I stood up for him, and we promised to sit together at lunch tomorrow,” he explained, deciding to omit the part where he gave Justin a bloody nose.

 

“That’s good, Markus. I’m proud of you,” praised Carl, causing a swell of to warm his chest. 

 

* * *

 

 

It must have been late into the evening when Markus heard the sound of quiet whirring. He had been in his room, pausing and unpausing a video on his computer that taught him how to say new and uncommon words in sign language. The sound alone was enough to make Markus pause the video one more time, slowly getting up from his position at his desk.

 

His mind went into immediate fight or flight mode, trying to decide whether he should grab a weapon or flee with his father (even though he had no idea how they would leave).

 

Markus peeked through the crack in the door only to see a familiar figure walking through the hall with a sort of twitch.

 

“Leo?” he called out in a whisper, causing the other boy to whip his head around.

 

“I thought you already went to bed,” Leo replied, not looking Markus in the eye but rather something by his foot. 

 

“No… No, I was, uh, watching some videos on ASL and reviewing notes,” Markus explained, eyeing Leo up and down with caution.

 

The other scoffed, and the quiet, “of course you were,” didn’t go unnoticed by Markus. Leo had already turned away to walk into his room, but Markus stopped him.

 

“Where were you tonight? Dad was worried,” he questioned, not missing the way Leo flinched and clenched and unclenched his hands.

 

“Was he now? That’s fucking  _ new, _ ” Leo snapped, voice going from a whisper to normal volume.

 

Markus moved to gran Leo’s wrist, desperately wanting to have this conversation. He wouldn’t let his brother get away this time. “Leo, please, I’m serious. You can’t keep doing this every other night or else--”

 

“Or else what? Or else I’ll be the reject? The outcast? The disappointment of the family?” Leo asked, suddenly shoving Markus who stumbled to keep upright. “News flash,  _ I already am! _ So why don’t you be a good boy just like that old fucker wanted  _ me _ to be, and stop fucking coming after my shit!”

 

Leo rushed into his room and slammed the door shut, leaving Markus feeling bare and hurt.

 

_ Why are you hurt?  _ Markus asked himself.  _ This isn’t him. This isn’t his fault. _

 

It wasn’t Leo.

 

It wasn’t his brother.

 

* * *

 

 

Markus hadn’t even walked into the school and he was on-edge. He’d accidentally woken up late, and had to rush to get himself in order before explaining himself to Carl, who simply chuckled and dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

 

_ “Markus, I’m your father. Although I may not look it, I can take care of breakfast and getting myself around,” the man had said, and Markus thanked him with a quick smile. _

 

Of course, since he was late, Carl’s driver had offered to take him to school instead of waiting for the next bus (which would have him arrive at school after the bell rang).

 

So, not only did Leo and Justin (and possibly his whole team) loathe him, but he got much,  _ much  _ more attention and stares from other students as Carl’s driver kept calling him “Mr. Markus.”

 

Wonderful.

 

“Markus!” a woman’s voice called out to him, and he let out a breath of relief as he recognized it to be North’s. She caught up to him and immediately punched him in the arm, wiggling her eyebrows.

 

“Ow! North! What was that for?” he asked, rubbing his sore arm. North was a wrestler, and played softball so god only knows the full extent of her strength.

 

She stuffed her hands into her hoodie, a smirk on her lips. “You and Phillips, huh?” she questioned, wiggling her eyebrows again.

 

Markus rolled his eyes, hip bumping her away. North somehow always found out about things before Markus could say boo, and she never,  _ ever _ resisted the urge to tease Markus about something.

 

_ I guess today it’s Simon. _

 

“For your information, I don’t like him like  _ that, _ ” Markus said, and North forced out a laugh so loud, a few people in the hall jumped and stared at the pair.

 

“That’s the biggest load of bullcrap I’ve ever heard in my entire life, Markus.”

 

Markus scoffed, his grip subconsciously tightening on his bag strap. “Believe what you want to believe, I don’t care,” he answered. “I think I understand my own emotions. All I’m asking is that you don’t do that embarrassing thing where you start stalking us and pushing me onto him.”

 

North squeezed his shoulder with a devilish grin. “No promises!” she chimed in a singsong voice. 

 

Just as she’d finished speaking, the first bell rang and she already began leaving Markus’ side with a wave. Markus speed-walked over to his locker where he dumped his bag and coat, quickly grabbing his textbook and binder for psychology and criminology class.

 

The day couldn’t have gone by any slower. Just by the end of first period, Markus found himself becoming restless, rotating between glancing at the clock, bouncing his leg, or fiddling with his pencil. Markus even had time to sketch out random body parts all over his notes, which he erased as his teacher walked by.

 

Which class was Simon in right now? Hopefully his class wasn’t  _ too _ loud, since Simon said he had a hard time hearing with his hearing aids when it was loud. Did people talk to him in classes? Markus knew that some kids in the school were super mean, and to be fair, not many people know sign language. Actually, Simon seemed so happy when he found out that Markus knew sign, so he assumed nobody else in the school knew it. Simon’s smile was so wide, so genuine, and it was all because of Markus. Simon’s eyes had sparkled, and Markus was sure that he noticed dimples in his cheeks, or maybe it was just the right—

 

“Markus? Is everything okay?” a voice asked him, and Markus looked up to see one of his friends on the student council, Connor, looking at him with his binder tucked between his arm and his chest.

 

Markus ran a hand over his head, a little embarrassed that he’d been lost in thought for so long. “Yeah, I’m good, don’t worry,” he replied, hurriedly placing his things in his binder once he noticed everyone was getting up and leaving the classroom. Had he really not noticed the bell ring?

 

“Okay,” Connor offered a small smile, and even if he noticed something off with Markus, he didn’t press on the matter. “I’ve gotta go catch up with Richard before our next class, but I’ll see you around!”

 

Connor didn’t even give him the chance to say goodbye before jogging out of the class, mumbling a few “‘scuse me!”s to people he bumped into.

 

_ If he was in that much of a hurry, why did he bother stopping to check up on me? _ Markus wondered idly as he walked out of the classroom.

 

* * *

 

 

Markus spent the next two classes trying to focus on the teacher and whatever stupid assignment they had to complete in each, constantly checking the time. Maybe some chaotic deity out there made seconds last minutes, and minutes last hours simply to see Markus lose his mind. If there  _ was _ a deity doing that, Markus wanted to fight it purely out of spite.

 

Thankfully, the bell signalling lunch had started ringing, and Markus shot up from his seat and sprinted out the door, ready to find Simon and have the best conversation the charming blond has ever had in his entire life. 

 

It was only once Markus reached the cafeteria that he didn’t actually mention where they should meet. 

 

Not only that, but they didn’t have each other’s phone numbers.

 

Markus sighed deeply, mentally blocking out the excited chatter of students walking into the cafeteria. Simon mentioned something about not enjoying the cafeteria, and he was often in the library, so Markus figured that place was as good as any to start looking for him.

 

As he walked through the halls and around a corner, occasionally greeting classmates, friends, and teachers, a head of blond hair caught his eye. Markus glanced over, and noticed Simon looking down at something on his phone with his brows furrowed.

 

“Simon!” Markus called out before realizing the  _ stupidity _ of his actions. He squeezed himself through the flow of students, mumbling a few apologies, then tapped Simon on the shoulder once reaching him.

 

Simon looked up from his phone, and his face spread into a beaming grin that twisted something deep inside Markus.

 

“Hi Markus!” he greeted vocally as he stuffed his phone into his pocket.  _ “I’m surprised you found me.” _

 

Markus chuckled, suddenly feeling too aware of how he stood and how he acted.  _ “I was heading to the library since you usually hang out there, right?” _ Markus asked, to which Simon nodded.

 

_ “That’s funny because I was just going to the cafeteria since that’s where  _ you _ usually hang out,” _ Simon countered, a small laugh bubbling from his throat. It was such a pleasant sound that a thought about wanting to make Simon laugh again and again passed his mind.

 

Markus cleared his throat, looking at the diminishing amount of students in the hall before allowing his eyes to be pulled back to Simon.  _ “I have a place where we can sit for lunch,” _ he signed.

 

“Lead the way!” Simon replied out loud, adjusting the bag that was slung across his shoulder. The smile was back, and Markus' stomach was doing flips on itself in the best way possible. If the feeling was what he was thinking of, then this would be an interesting break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okayokay next chapter has simon and markus bonding more, so expect the Gay™ in high quantities
> 
> i'll try to update as quickly as i can but quite honestly don't expect a regular schedule lmao

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading !! please fuel me with kudos and comments
> 
> also if you have any random hcs please???send them to me???im begging????
> 
> follow my tumblr fic accoint: @inkinascreen


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